Xi Yiru, currently a student in Class 15 of Grade 1 at Yiling High School. In one year, he translated three famous works of Shakespeare; at the age of 14, he passed the IELTS exam and performed in plays at British theaters... Truly, he is an outstanding student. On the morning of yesterday, I met this elegant 16-year-old boy, Xi Yiru, in the campus of Yiling High School.
He is tall with clear eyes... Although only 16 years old, Xi Yiru, who is currently studying in Class 15 of Grade 1 at Yiling High School, has a gentlemanly demeanor. His homeroom teacher, Huang Duming, described him as "thoughtful, well-rounded, and highly respected in the class." This semester, Xi Yiru was elected as the class president by an overwhelming majority of votes. Xi Yiru's excellence is closely related to his English skills. Since kindergarten, his father, who works in international exchange, started consciously exposing his son to some English nursery rhymes and animated shows. Xi Yiru said that although he couldn't understand them at the time, it greatly helped cultivate his sense of language. Another significant leap in Xi Yiru's English proficiency came from his experience of "studying abroad" in the UK. From September 2008 to June 2009, Xi Yiru went to the UK with his father for further studies. While his father pursued his doctorate in London, Xi Yiru entered Lilian Baylis Technology, a local public junior high school, for the eighth grade. Three months later, he began translating his first Shakespearean classic, "The Merchant of Venice." This was both to better understand English and purely out of love for drama and theater. During his time in the UK, Xi Yiru starred in the famous British play "Sweeney Todd," taking on the role of Todd that many others shied away from, and his performance was a great success.
Passion is the best teacher. Due to the joy he experienced during the translation of his first book, Xi Yiru went on to translate two more Shakespearean classics, "Macbeth" and "King Lear," during his year in the UK.
In July 2009, after returning to Yichang, Xi Yiru once again demonstrated his remarkable abilities. Originally, he took the IELTS exam just to test his English level, but unexpectedly, he passed smoothly at the young age of 14.
Besides his exceptional English skills, Xi Yiru's piano playing is also impressive. However, he believes it is merely a hobby and never lets exams or grading systems restrict him. During his time in the UK, he was the pianist for the school band, and after returning home, he maintained close contact with his bandmates, continuously improving his piano skills.
When asked about his aspirations, this outstanding student gave a somewhat unexpected answer: "I want to become an economist in the future." Xi Yiru said that his advantages in language and literature, in his view, are all ways of communicating and interacting with people. With this "weight," he hopes that his path to becoming an economist will be smooth sailing. (Reporter: Zhang Lei, Correspondent: Tan Zhihong)